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(for
background to the project, go here)
Here
are some extracts from the books, examples of the kinds of things I’m
encouraging Havering teachers to try in class. Of course, you can use
your own ‘local poems’ for this, or get the children to write the
poems to begin with.
EXCERPT 1:
‘SCISSORWORK’
Step 1
I’m all cut up! [Tools: scissors,
a small bag ]
Choose a poem
from The Stamina of Sheep – or any poem you like. Make a
photocopy of it. If it’s a long poem, select just a small part –
about half a page, or less.
- Take the
photocopy and a pair of scissors. Cut the poem into bits! Yes, you
read that correctly! Cut it up – line by line, or phrase by
phrase, or into separate words. Or try a mix of all of these.
Now put all
the pieces in a bag. Shake it up.
Pull the
pieces out of the bag, one by one, at random. Like raffle tickets.
Don’t peek! …
… As you
pull each piece out, arrange it on a flat surface to build a new ‘poem’.
(Keep clear of fans, doors and open windows!) Lay down the pieces in
exactly the same order as they come out of the bag. All you decide
is where each line ends, and the next line begins.
Don’t worry
if it seems like ‘nonsense’. Just enjoy watching your new ‘poem’
grow, piece by piece. You can stop any time you like. And you don’t
have to use ALL the pieces in the bag.
When you do
decide to stop, quickly copy the poem out on a new sheet of paper
(neatly). This is important. You don’t want a gust of wind to ruin
everything you’ve done! Then put the pieces back in the bag –
you’ll need them again later.
Step 2
Your Results.
Look at the
new poem you’ve made. What weird or unusual things are going on?
Does it worry
you that the grammar is all wrong, or that some bits don’t make
any sense?
Do you think
certain bits are more interesting than the original poem? Why/ why
not?
Discuss these
issues with your classmates, teacher or a parent.
©
Mario Petrucci
EXCERPT 2:
Be
a JOURNALIST - and ‘HOLD THE FRONT PAGE ! !’
You are a
journalist writing for a local newspaper, looking for good ‘copy’
or maybe even a ‘scoop’.
- In
journalism, what is ‘copy’? What is a ‘scoop’?
- Choose a
suitable poem from The Stamina of Sheep as your starting
point.
- Find out
about the chosen place, character or subject. What stories are
associated with it?
- Visit the
local library to do some research. If you can, interview local
people and experts.
- Now write
up your story. You must have a word limit, say 200 words.
- Find some
good images to go with your story, or take some photographs of
your own.
- If you
like, look at local/ national papers to get some ideas on style.
But do it your own way!
- Present
your work as a half-page story. Use your images, and the original
poem, to illustrate it.
©
Mario Petrucci
EXCERPT
3:
HOW CAN A POEM GET DRUNK ?!
Finally, here
is a poem about a flood in 1888 which caused the river Rom to liberate
thousands of casks of beer from an Ind Coope brewery, many of which
the locals appropriated
1888
1066? Forget
it mate -
the year to
remember is 1888.
For Coope and
Ind, ’twas one in the eye
’cause they
couldn’t organise a brewery in a piss-down, right?
30 000 casks
in the Colditz Rom
- that’s
about a dozen each where I come from.
Bobbing and
a-bibbing esh-caped the groggy fleet
climbing each
others’ backs like shnails in heat.
1984 can come’an
go, bruvver -
that lot wozat
the frothy brim, their belly like an udder.
1966? Who licked
who?
Who givz
a swig when you’z all
shoaked
through?
For-geck 2000
an’de- dOMe
right dere -
back zen
they’z really had someping
diGG
to beclare.
Yep 1888
wash the - hic - - off eNDeavour
cosh you’gorra
m’member the biggesht
frEE-round
EVER !
Exercises on
‘1888’:
K Finger-post
1
- Make a list
of all the dates mentioned in the poem.
- What do
these dates refer to? [You might need help with some of them, like
‘1984’.]
K Finger-post
2
- Read
through the poem a few times. Get used to the weird spellings. Why
do you think the poet does this? [What happens to the words as the
poem progresses? What does this remind you of?]
- Do you
think this poem demands to be read out loud? Why?
K Finger-post
3
- Write
something where the words themselves imitate what you are writing
about.
For example,
a poem about someone getting angry might include more capital
letters and exclamation marks as it goes along, and the words might
actually get BIGGER! Or a story about someone falling asleep might
have more and more words in it containing the letter ‘z’. A poem
about a brainy person could be crammed with long or unusual or
technical words.
Come up with
your own ideas – be as crazy or as playful as you like!
- Class or
group discussion
How can a
poem, or its words, imitate an emotion? Make a list of the ways
this can happen. [For instance, a love poem could repeat a name over
and over - to imitate obsession. Or a poem about someone short of
breath might have very short lines and words.]
Find a poem
that uses (in an obvious way) a technique from your list. Better
still, look for an example in your own writing - or write something new
that uses one or two of your ideas.
Discuss the
poem together. Does the technique work? Or does it sometimes sound
false?
©
Mario Petrucci
Note:
If
you want to use any of these poems or exercises please do – but
attach a brief acknowledgement, with the annotation ‘© Mario
Petrucci’ on any relevant sheets. Further
information on the project is available at www.mariopetrucci.com
and the books can be obtained via: mmpetrucci@hotmail.com.
The
Stamina of Sheep
Poems
and illustrations
(The
London Borough of Havering, 2002, £5.95 + £1 p&p)
The
Havering Poetry Study Pack
Exercises
for creative writing & study for local residents, schools and
colleges
(The
London Borough of Havering, 2002, £2.95 + £1 p&p)
Mario Petrucci
is a Fellow of the Royal Literary Fund and the Imperial War Museum’s
first poet in residence and Literacy Consultant. He is twice winner of
the London Writers competition and has been selected for a New London
Writers Award as well as a major Arts Council Writers’ Award.
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